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coronavirus we hadn’t even heard of fourteen months ago and a president who, at least for now, has moved on dominated the headlines and our consciousness over the past year, but the big story of the year ahead might be a very different issue that promises to provoke some of our deepest concerns and beliefs: cannabis, bringing its far-reaching impact and billion-dollar industry to New Jersey. With more than two-thirds of New Jersey voters supporting the November 3, 2020 ballot issue to legalize recreational use of cannabis and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on February 22 signing into law the legislation that permits and regulates marijuana use, the state has embarked on the numerous complex steps to create a cannabis industry. Almost every faction of the state’s population is involved in one way or another, and thousands are eager to weigh in on the determination of who, when, and how the state proceeds in growing, processing, testing, marketing, regulating, selling, and educating the public. At stake as New Jersey anticipates the effects of legalization are the future of a potentially huge economic juggernaut for growers, distributors and the state, the development and growth of minority businesses, and nothing less than social justice itself for all. “This legislation will establish an industry that brings equity and economic opportunity to our communities, while establishing minimum standards for safe products and allowing law enforcement to focus their resources on real public safety matters,” said Murphy in signing the bills. “Today we’re taking a monumental step forward to reduce racial disparities in our criminal justice system, while building a promising new industry and standing on the right side of history. I’d like to thank the legislature, advocates, faith leaders, and community leaders for their dedicated work and partnership on this critical issue.” Disparities in law enforcement over the years have seen Black New Jersey residents more than three times as likely as white residents to be charged with marijuana possession, despite similar rates of usage. The recently signed bills, however, decriminalize the use or possession of up to six ounces of marijuana. Marijuana for medical purposes has been legal in the state since 2010, but patients are not allowed to grow their own cannabis. Recently approved legislation also includes a reduction in penalties for underage use or possession, with written warnings and referrals to community services like mentorships and counseling rather than harsh fines or criminal punishments. Despite widespread voter support and the initial hurdles that have been cleared, the challenges ahead are formidable in creating this $1 billion industry that is expected to generate about $126 million a year in revenue for the state. Setting up dispensaries and other cannabis
establishments may take another year, and it may be another year after that before significant tax revenues are apparent. One goal of the new state cannabis industry is to take over the current illegal trafficking in marijuana and to channel tax revenues to support impact zones, minority communities like Atlantic City, Camden, East Orange, Irvington, Newark, Paterson, Trenton, and other areas that have been most damaged by unfair treatment from law enforcement and others in the war on drugs. At the time of the bill signing American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (a founding member of New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform) Executive Director Amol Sinha commented, “With Governor Murphy’s signature, the decades-long practice of racist marijuana enforcement will begin to recede, in a shift that emphasizes the urgency of building
that hire residents of these areas. To qualify as an impact zone an area must rank in the top 15 percent in the state in unemployment, in the top 40 percent in recent small amount marijuana possession arrests, and have a high total crime index ranking. Also in the bill are provisions to support micro business loans, conditional licenses, and business development resources for minority groups, women, and disabled veterans. In the coming months and years, the impact of this new industry will be felt by all New Jerseyans, whether they voted for legalization or not. Several of the public figures who have been working most assiduously to make sure that the state gets it right in launching this new era shared their thoughts on the legalization of recreational marijuana in New Jersey and what lies ahead for the industry and the state’s residents.
“THIS LEGISLATION WILL ESTABLISH AN INDUSTRY THAT BRINGS EQUITY AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY TO OUR COMMUNITIES, WHILE ESTABLISHING MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR SAFE PRODUCTS AND ALLOWING LAW ENFORCEMENT TO FOCUS THEIR RESOURCES ON REAL — NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR PHIL MURPHY PUBLIC SAFETY MATTERS.” the most equitable framework possible for cannabis legalization. With this historic reform, New Jersey also shifts our approach to youth possession and use by moving away from the punitive status quo to a framework that values public health, harm reduction, and the well-being of young people.” He continued, “Our state’s cannabis laws can set a new standard for what justice can look like, with the removal of criminal penalties for possession and an unprecedented portion of tax revenue dedicated to addressing the harms wrought by the drug war. Signing these laws puts in motion the next phase of this effort: to work relentlessly to transform the principles of legalization into greater racial and social justice in New Jersey. This is a new beginning —and the culmination of years of advocacy and we must keep in mind that it is only the start.” Overseeing the transition and making sure that social justice remains in focus is the governorappointed New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC), which has been designated the decision-making body for the new industry. Among other provisions, the legalization bill would include a 6.625 percent sales tax plus 2 percent maximum municipal tax, with 70 percent of the revenues from those taxes dedicated to minority communities. It would also require that at least 25 percent of cannabis licenses go to residents living in designated impact zones and that priority for licenses be given to businesses
NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLYMAN
Andrew Zwicker, who currently represents the 16th District in the New Jersey General Assembly and is running for a position in the state Senate, has been a strong proponent for cannabis legalization on the grounds of social equity. He discussed the passage of the legalization bill and its implications for the future. “In November the people of New Jersey spoke strongly in favor of legalization of adult-use cannabis,” he said. “It took longer than expected to get the legislation correct, but we did, and the governor signed it. It’s what the voters of New Jersey asked us to do.” Pointing out important challenges ahead for the CRC and for Princeton and other New Jersey municipalities, Zwicker mentioned business, safety, and social justice concerns. “We want to ensure that New Jersey entrepreneurs have the ability to participate if they so choose,” he said. “The other piece of this is the fact that for way too long we’ve had people being arrested for possession of cannabis and jailed, and this is disproportionately Black and Brown communities, an unfair burden on those communities.” Zwicker pointed out that Princeton and the other towns in central New Jersey that he represents face a number of difficult decisions in the next six months. “They have to decide if this is something they want to participate in or
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